


Three Dark Crowns One-Shots

by zosmic



Category: Three Dark Crowns Series - Kendare Blake
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Magic, More to add - Freeform, Multi, One-Shots, one dark throne, three dark crowns - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 10:31:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12297336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zosmic/pseuds/zosmic
Summary: One-shot book for the series Three Dark Crowns. I take requests!





	Three Dark Crowns One-Shots

The gray surrounded her, a suffocating bodice of smog, whipping at her hair and stinging her eyes. She could feel the storm closing in, circling her small boat like a shark to its prey, but still, she pushed on. She couldn’t see in front of her, and she wondered briefly whether to turn back, fear clenching her stomach as she realized that it all looked the same. She no longer remembered which way she’d come. 

Jules was afraid, heartbroken and lonely, but she wasn’t a quitter. The Goddess would be her guide, even if Her methods were malformed; even if She was angry at her for leaving Arsinoe behind. My job is done, she found herself thinking, as if her pleads would cease the oncoming whirlwind. She is safe, she’ll be free now, as I will never be.

This gift was a curse, a monster that slowly unfolded within her. She could sense it deep in her mind, leaking into her thoughts like a poison, infecting every memory it touched. It had claws, this beast, and sharp fangs even longer than Camden’s. It would ruin her like it had ruined Joseph, whether it be a knife to her side or Queen Katherine’s blade coming down on her neck, but she would make sure to be alone this time.

Arsinoe was her world, her destiny, but Jules was a danger to them both. What if she did go mad, as everyone said she would, and ended up hurting the queen instead of being her protector? She had Mirabella now; strong, confident Mirabella, with her fire and lighting and ravaging storms. They would be there for each other, with Billy to help them navigate the Mainland. They could have had Joseph, too, a dark part of her whispered, and her gut twisted at the words. 

She didn’t want to think of him; of his smile or his eyes or his carefree attitude. She didn’t want to remember how he always thought of her first, how he always knew what to say or when not to say anything at all. When they kissed, when they made love, when they slept together under the light of a thousand burning lanterns. If she allowed herself to indulge in the past, even just for a moment, she would begin weeping and never stop. 

She stayed strong. Even as the boat rocked, the lightning striking hard against the waves. She put on a brave face as if challenging the Goddess to do Her worst, and her vessel tipped in response. She held on to the side, digging her splintered nails into the wood and willing her head to stay above water. The sea absorbed her warmth like a leech, rendering her momentarily paralyzed, and it only took that second for her fingers to slip from their hold. 

It was dark below the surface. Jules opened her eyes, but everything was blurry, her limp body swaying in the storm. Which way was up? She could not recall, and she sank lower and lower into the unforgiving depths. The ocean was bottomless, as empty and unending as the hole in her heart. She considered giving in, letting herself join Joseph in death, but then her instincts kicked in and she saw the sky once more. 

Her watercraft was gone, only a few pieces of driftwood remaining, so she grabbed tight to one of those with renewed strength. She would reunite with her lover eventually, but it would not be today, her gift practically putting her on autopilot. She wasn’t the most vigorous swimmer, yet she kicked and slapped at the water like a fussy child. She was close, she could feel it; it wouldn’t be much longer until the shore was in sight. 

A wave crashed into Jules, thrusting her sideways, and the air was knocked right from her. Salt poured into her lungs as she gasped for breath, the tsunami taking her in the direction of a jagged rock. She tried to grab onto to it but ended up smacking against its hard surface, her leg twisting painfully behind her. She wrapped her arms around the beacon, blinking the agony-induced stars from her eyes before taking a look around. The harbor wasn’t far, and it was hope that made her press forward, diving back under and using her less-damaged leg to get closer. The Goddess tried to pull her back, wrapping around her arms and waist, but she broke free from the chains that attempted to bind her. The corners of her vision were going dark, and she wondered briefly if this is how Joseph felt when he was dying, hiding his fear behind a grin and an “I’ll be okay.”

He was the first thing she thought about when she collapsed on shore; not the consequences, not the Arrons, not the people she left behind and those she would return to. She thought of him, even when tears stung at her eyes, her bleeding leg a physical motif of her heart. The clouds had cleared, and the evening sun warming her face made her think of better days. Of days spent with him and Arsinoe and Luke. Of days that would never come again. 

He had been the most handsome of men, clever and kind and the best side of herself. She saw her best features highlighted in his eyes, and she knew then that love like that was a one-time occurrence. No one could ever be as bright and beautiful as him, but she would learn to live without his light in her life.

She could move on, make her own destiny, whether it be with the Bastians or with Madigral and Caragh and the arriving newborn. Maybe it would be on her own, if just for a little while, the only one being Camden by her side. She could choose not to put them in danger, leave alone and let them think that she had gotten her happy ending. The baby would hear stories of courageous, war-gifted Jules; with the strength to defeat entire armies and the heart to protect her best friend in the world. In their minds, they would form a new version of her; one who had a family with the one she loved and who kept her promise to forever guard their queen, but that would only be a lie. It would be fabricated, and she couldn’t go on knowing that her family had never figured out the truth. 

The sun had sunk low in the sky, but Jules stayed where she was, staring up at the brilliant stars with watery eyes. It would be hours before she’d have to make a decision, choosing a path that would forever change her life. Arsinoe had flipped her fate and now it was her turn; she could only pray that she would make the right choice. As much as she thought it over, her mind kept drifting to where it always did, but that was not an option anymore. 

She imagined him next to her, taking her hand and telling her that everything would be alright. Sometimes she wished that he hadn’t been such a liar, but the comfort could have helped right then. The future was strange, complicated and messy, made even more so by the lack of her lover by her side, yet she would move on no matter how long it took. No matter how many days she spent dreaming of him and nights she lost sleep. Maybe then happiness would find her, as it had every day that Joseph was in her life.


End file.
